A light-sensitive material comprising a support and a light-sensitive layer containing light-sensitive silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound is used in an image forming method which comprises imagewise polymerizing the polymerizable compound. The light-sensitive material is described in Japanese Patent Publications No. 45(1970)-11149 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,275) and Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 1(1986)-69062 and No. 61(1986)-73145 (the contents of both publications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2).
The above-mentioned light-sensitive material has various embodiments with respect to the arrangement of the components of the light-sensitive layer. In a representative embodiment, the light-sensitive silver halide, the reducing agent and the polymerizable compound are contained in light-sensitive microcapsules which are dispersed in the light-sensitive layer. The light-sensitive microcapsule is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 62(1987)-169147 (corresponding to European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0224214A2), No. 62(1987)-169148, No. 62(1987)-209439 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,756 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0237025A2) and No. 63(1988)-121837 (corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 119,449, now allowed).
In the above-mentioned publications, a base or base precursor is disclosed as an optional component of the light-sensitive material. The base or base precursor is an effective component which functions as an image formation accelerator in the image forming process (development process of the light-sensitive material).
It is technically difficult to incorporate the base or base precursor into the light-sensitive microcapsule. Therefore, the base or base precursor has been arranged outside of light-sensitive microcapsules in the light-sensitive layer. The base or base precursor permeates the light-sensitive microcapsules in a heat development process.